tonym Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I picked up a couple corals tonight and one is a Xenia. I put it in a hole on the top rock so the stems are upright and it gets lots of light, but the polyps are flopped over, but pumping a little is this normal stress? My biggest concern is it's attachment to the rock. I'm not sure if the bottom of the Xenia is touching the rock in the hole. Will it find it's own way and attach? TIA. Link to comment
CrocoDillon Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I think it's normal stress behaviour, he'll look better after some time Mine was also pumping a little in the beginning, now pumping alot. they r very hardy. Oh and don't worry, if they dont float away, they'll attach. Link to comment
tonym Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 Thanks Croc. I was a little worried about it attaching itself since I've heard about so many people using rubber bands to keep them down. Link to comment
LITTLEFISHEE Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 The rubber band method is mainly used so it doesn't get knocked off. My xenia does that closed pumping when the lionfish perches on it, but it opens again shortly after. Link to comment
tonym Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 Well I just got home from work and all my questions are answered. The Xenia has already attached itself, is fully opened and all polyps are pumping like mad. Also it has gotten alot fatter at the base so I think it's very happy. Link to comment
tonym Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Ahhh!!! I take that back. I went to town today for a couple hours and when I returned home the Xenia is sick! It's very limp and all polyps are closed. My parameters are good ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, Alk 4 meq/L, Cal 400ppm, PH 8.4. Link to comment
CrocoDillon Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 What about now? does it look better again? Link to comment
tonym Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 Not really. It's not slumped over any more, but it's not pumping either. I just put it in the tank the day I wrote this thread so it could be an acclimation problem. I hope is snaps out of it. Link to comment
silversurfer Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 hey, how is the xenia doing now. mines is doing that same thing and i just got it today Link to comment
tonym Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 Still the same. The polyps are extended, but not pumping. Other than that it looks healthy, nice color. Link to comment
CrocoDillon Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I believe I've read somewhere that Xenia not pumping is not neccesary a sign of ill health. Can some1 back that up? But the pumping is what makes Xenia unique, might be the light, might be the flow, i dont know... I guess sometimes they just don't pump. Link to comment
silversurfer Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 hey i might have a solution. i just did a pretty large water change and the xenia is doing 100 times better. my friend told me to do this and i'm guessing he was right. it started to pump better and the stalks are almost all standing up after about 1/2 a day Link to comment
rehren Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 xenia requires excellent water quality. if the base broadened it was probably getting too much light. they are like trees, they will grow in the direction of light - so maybe put it a little lower in your tank and do a water change. Link to comment
Wind Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 silvers.. where u got the xenisa?? Link to comment
JParra Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 read this, I got from Live-Aquaria.com : "The Xenia Pumping Corals are also referred to as Pulsing Corals, or Waving Hand Corals. They are colonial animals with multiple individual polyps attached to a piece of solid substrate. They form stalks as they grow, and to reproduce. The eight-tentacled polyps can pump, or pulse, and many scientists believe the pumping action of the polyps slowly opening and closing is designed to dispose of gasses and waste. However, it is still unknown why these coral do pulse, and there are many water, lighting and nutrient factors involved. It is not necessarily a sign of ill health if they do cease to pulse. Although Xenia sp. corals can be very difficult to acclimate, the cultured specimens that we are offering have been in captivity for many generations and are much hardier than wild-caught species. Predatory fish (e.g., Xenia-eating angelfish), crabs, snails, or the stings of other corals may damage the colony quite easily. Therefore, provide adequate space between them and sessile animals, especially other types of soft corals. They require a medium to high light level combined with a medium to strong water movement within the aquarium. Under the right conditions, these corals multiply very rapidly, and will need to be trimmed and propagated when they begin to crowd their neighbors. For continued good health, they will require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water. They contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae from which they receive the majority of their nutritional requirements. It is theorized that Xenia corals feed from the water by trapping food within their mucous membrane, and that additional weekly feedings of micro-plankton or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates may also be needed." Link to comment
killogge Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 This is probably not an acclimation problem, but I have had a xenia frag for about 1-2 months and growing really slow.... about a week ago I had a HUGE algae bloom, so I cleaned EVERYTHING! Glass, powerheads, filter, protein skimmer, etc and a 5 gal water change. Anyway, before the cleaning the xenia was happy (but not pumping for some reason) and extended on the bottom of the tank, but after it shrunk up and hasn't opened much since. I've moved it around in the tank twice in that time and it didn't help at all. I have it at the original spot now... Any advice? ---tank stats--- 1 yellow damsel 1 button polyp frag (wide-open, but not really encrusting) 1 xenia frag (closed) 1 GSP (open and growing good) 1 kenya tree (open and growing good) 5-8 blue legged hermits 5 turbo snails 1 emerald crab about 29lbs LR, 40lbs LS topfin filter (soon to be ac500 fuge), 175 gph PH and 317gph azoo PH, 2x55w (acentic and 10k) PC, Lee's skimmer, and 100w heater. Link to comment
silversurfer Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 yeah hey killogge, i did that just about two days ago and mines closed up temporarily. it opened up again the next morning, just let the water settle Link to comment
pyrrhus Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 I bought a Xenia yesterday, Beautiful piece with 3 colors and at least 5 stalks its pumping fine and fully open, it even touches my sarcophyton and no problems yet. today i did about a 35% water change and moved everything in my tank (which clouded the water quite a bit) to remove a jawfish that wasnt eating, and the xenia is still doing great, my only prob with all this is i dropped a rock on my brown star polyps i hope they do ok they are just starting to open back up although some parts of the colony seem a bit crushed. Link to comment
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